


The WIN-X Files

by FiftyStars



Category: Fate: The Winx Saga (TV), Tagging this as Fate so they can take notes on what representation should look like, Winx Club
Genre: Addiction, Aisha shows up like a badass, Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Bloom and Stella are madly in love, Canon Character of Color, Character(s) of Color, Everyone Is Gay, Exactly What It Says on the Tin, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Flora is thicc because thicc thighs save lives, I Will Go Down With This Ship, LGBTQ Themes, Might fuck around and make Sky a trans fairy too, Nonbinary Character, None of this 2020-2021 drama, Police Brutality, Ppl have rights in this bc im tired of bigots, Pseudoscience, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Tecna is nonbinary, The Author Regrets Nothing, The fairies said trans rights, The year is 2050 in this fic, Trans Character, Unfair Justice System, Useless Lesbians, Warning: author probably has executive dysfunction, all my homies hate Fate, because i said so and my word is law, fuck fate:the winx saga, omg should i tag the Fate fandom so this get more hits lmao, they all get cool wings and outfits dont worry, you could read this even if you havent heard of the winx club before in your life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:01:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29099217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiftyStars/pseuds/FiftyStars
Summary: Mandatory stripper AU I'm writing because no one else will.The WIN-X have hidden their existence from the public, passing under the radar as they slowly honed their abilities. Their mission? To succeed where the authorities failed and bring peace to the city, and eventually, the world.Crime rates are the highest they've ever been, and with the Trix plotting and the Specialists hunting them down, they have to keep their wits about them at all times. If only Bloom could reign in her temper and learn to fight in platform heels.
Relationships: Bloom/Stella (Winx Club), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 12
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

Bloom Peters was not in a good mood. No, scratch that. She was _furious_. It was the type of angry that clogged her throat with lava and burned her eyes with its smoke, making her see red. It wasn’t unusual for her to switch rapidly between highs and lows, in fact she was almost infamous for her short temper. 

But she had good reason to be at the end of her short fuse this time. Her shaking hands struggled with the lighter and cigarette between them, before finally giving up on the lighter and managing to produce a small, flickering flame on the tip of her finger, its light melting away the chill of the night. Her cracked phone told her the time was almost 10 PM, hours after closing time due to the fact she had been left to clean and lock up, as always. The lighter fluid had ran out, but she didn’t dwell on it, lighting the cigarette with practiced ease. Relief flooded through her as she took a long drag from it, watching the ashes float off as the fire roaring under her skin cooled slightly.

Bad habits died hard, she supposed, and she had yet to defeat her long standing nicotine addiction that had followed her through her teens and into her twenties. It was ironic, in a morbidly poetic sort of way that her inner art student could appreciate, that she needed to light a fire and burn up her lungs to cool her equally fiery temper.

Her current fury had been brought on by her absolute troll of a mentor, whom she had been doing a tattoo artist apprenticeship with under the impression that she would actually learn something. At this point, the only thing keeping Bloom from calling it quits was the prospect of finally getting licensed in a few short months. She would be free of her so called mentor, who was a gas lighting, borderline emotionally abusive son of a bitch. Then again, what did she, an art degree drop out, know about anything? 

Nearly 22, and all she had to show for it was work experience at her mother’s florist shop, five portfolios that had never been met with approval, and anger management issues that kept getting her fired from various jobs over the years.

This time, and not the first time either, it had been a rant about how ‘fairies and all that other cutesy shit’ shouldn’t ever be made into tattoos, and that he missed the old days when he could find ‘a nice solid guy fresh out of high school’ who wouldn’t be as useless as Bloom.

Well, fuck him. She would soon be her own boss, and she wouldn’t have to put up with the likes of him anymore. Deft fingers paged through her latest portfolio, tracing the intricate lines that made up fairy wings and mermaid tails alike. One day, she would find people who liked her work. She knew they existed, from the amount of praise she had garnered from the few pictures she had posted online, but some days she doubted it.

Sighing from where she was sat on the steps that led up to the tattoo shop, she gazed at the opposite side of the street. The local strip club was one of the best in the city, she was told, and staring at the twinkling neon lights, Bloom could see the appeal.

A black car pulled up, sleek yet nondescript, and she startled at the sound of the car door closing. A lithe figure stepped out from the shadows where the nice car had parked, which caused Bloom pause her perusal. 

The remaining stump of her cig fell out of her grasp, falling to the damp pavement.

The figure was a vision of beauty, even in the poor lighting, with flowing blonde hair that looked like molten gold in the streetlights glare, clad in a shimmery orange mini skirt and green hoodie, her delicate feet in green wedge sandals. The blonde was pouting down at her phone, typing furiously, entirely unaware of her surroundings.

Apparently, mystery girl was quite aware of her surroundings after all, as she whirled around to face a bulky, towering man that Bloom hadn’t even noticed. The man held up his hands in mock surrender as she brandished her phone at him, as if it were an actual weapon. 

“I'm not interested, Knut! I told you I don’t have time, and even if I did, I still wouldn’t waste it with you!” She sounded so confident, and her voice was every bit as lovely as she was. Bloom suddenly felt woefully inadequate, with her scruffy knitted jumper and bedraggled hair, her skin marred with endless tattoos from when she had practiced on herself.

“Stella, listen to me, please! I- ” the man made a grab for ‘Stella's’ hand, the one adorned with a huge fuck off ring that looked like it should’ve been in a museum, or treasure chest, or somewhere equally as safe. 

“Hands. Off!” yelled Stella, falling into a stance that looked like a fighting position. At least, Bloom thought from where she was frozen in place, Stella looked like she knew how to defend herself.

Knut had apparently given up on any pretences, charging at Stella and once again making a wild grab for the ring. Stella dodged to the side in a fluid motion, and then proceeded to duck, weave, and leap over the cars around them with the agility of a gymnast. To Bloom, it looked as if she was flying.

The brute she was avoiding roared in frustration as his fist came down inches away from Stella as she vaulted over her own car. The fist had actually left a sizeable dent, making Bloom wince as her eyes widened in horror. 

“Oh come on! I just paid that off! Now you’ve really pissed me off,” complained Stella. 

“Give me that ring!” 

“...No, I don’t think I will. I happen to think it goes quite well with my outfit.”

The air seemed to shimmer, lights flickering, and then something happened that left Bloom wondering if she had accidentally smoked something much stronger.

The light seemed to bend, coalescing in Stella’s outstretched palm, before somehow being reflected into Knut’s eyes in a concentrated beam. Knut howled in pain. She darted forward, as if buoyed by the shimmery air, and jabbed Knut in the neck and abdomen in quick succession. This made the man wheeze, doubling over. Stella made a triumphant sound, pleased at her success, but failed to duck away fast enough. A huge flailing arm managed to collide with her, sending her sprawling against the brick wall with a sickening thud. She didn’t get back up. 

Finally regaining his breath, Knut righted himself and advanced toward Stella’s prone form. 

Bloom, as if finally unsticking her trainers from where they were glued to the pavement, charged at Knut with a battle cry. She'd always made impulsive decisions, and it didn’t look like she’d be stopping anytime soon. 

“Stay the fuck away from her!” She screamed at him, balling her hand into a fist and gathering the fire that always lurked just under the surface of her skin, just waiting to be released. Bloom’s arm reared back before she punched him, her fist engulfed with flames. 

Both she and Knut flew backwards from the collision, propelled by an explosive force. Bloom landed a few feet away from Stella, her hands catching her fall. They stung with scrapes. Knut landed even further away, crashing into the dumpsters in a nearby alley.

Shakily, Bloom rose to her feet, standing guard over Stella who was beginning to stir. Summoning what little energy she had left, she pulled her flames back up to the surface of her palms and held them both out at Knut when he emerged from the alley. 

“Leave, or I’ll cook you alive,” she stated as calmly as she could manage. 

Bloom took a step forward, and Knut turned around and fled. Huh. Interesting. She was beginning to feel lightheaded, which made sense, since she hadn’t eaten since lunch. Maybe she had enough for takeout.

Stella groaned from where she was lying on the floor, bringing Bloom back to the present. She kneeled next to the injured girl, gently lifting Stella’s head off the pavement and onto her jean clad lap. Hesitantly, making sure her hands had cooled down, she brushed the strands of pale hair off Stella’s face, causing her eyes to flutter open.

“You smell like you smoke,” Stella grumbled faintly. She focused her eyes on Bloom’s face, smiling in a way that made something inside her chest flutter. “Thanks for the save, Cinderella.”

“No problem,” she replied in what she hoped was a soothing tone, wincing at the dry rasp in her voice. Using her flames did tend to make her extremely dehydrated. 

Stella began to try and sit up, a pained expression on her face, but Bloom lowered her back down.

“Hey, hey, take it easy. You’re injured.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell,” Stella replied with sarcasm.

“You need me to call you an ambulance?”

“Nope! No need for all that! I’m perfectly fine, see?”

Stella sat up once more, and Bloom helped her stand, supporting most of her weight. Obviously, she was not ‘perfectly fine’.

“Could you be a dear and help me inside?” asked Stella, and Bloom did exactly that, swinging the blonde’s arm around her shoulders and helping her limp...into the strip club.

In retrospect, Bloom shouldn’t have been so surprised.

They stumbled through the threshold, skirted around the entrance and headed towards what appeared to be a large changing room, with comfy swivel chairs and large mirrors lining one half, and a row of lockers on the other side.

Bloom helped Stella slump into a chair, and then dithered, wondering if she should call for help. Steeling herself, she called out.

“Hello? We need some help!” she yelled. “Please?” she added.

A lady poked her head in from an adjacent room, and her eyes widened at the sight of Bloom and Stella. She hurried towards them barefoot, and Bloom noted that she was stunning, with glossy chestnut hair and smooth brown skin that glowed with health. She was on the short side, all soft plump curves and even softer features. Her outfit was a glimmering pink two piece set that consisted of a high cut G-string and a bralette with a halter neck that exposed a lot of skin. Large gold hoops hung from her ears.

“Stella! What- what _happened_? Who’s this?” she asked in a high soft voice that made Bloom think of clouds.

“Hey, I’m Bloom. I work at the tattoo shop across the street. I saw Stella get attacked by this guy, about 6 ft. 7, and he threw her into a wall. I managed to get him to clear off, but she’s hurt.” Bloom explained as fast as she could.

“Oh you poor things! Hold on,” she exclaimed, reaching for a first aid kit on a high shelf. She pulled it down with a huff, dumping it on the long dressing table that ran along the length of the room under the mirrors. It was overflowing with supplies but the brunette managed to find bandages, antibacterial wipes, and a small pair of scissors with no trouble at all. 

“Flora! I look worse than I feel, you don’t-”

Flora cut Stella off with a glare of surprising intensity, quelling any arguments. She began to examine Stella’s wounds, poking and prodding and bandaging, but Stella stayed surprisingly quiet. 

“Bloom, this is Flora Pérez, our resident mother hen,” introduced Stella, gesturing towards her friend who ignored her.

“So, do you wanna explain to me what that was about? Or that thing you did with the light? What _was_ that?” Bloom questioned, curiosity overwhelming her.

Who exactly was Stella? Was she...like her? Were there more people out there who could do what she could? Bloom had heard rumours, of course, but despite hoping they were true, she hadn't truly believed them.

“That was electromagnetic manipulation, lumokinesis,” explained Stella, gathering more light into the palm of her hand. “Or at least, the visible spectrum, anyways. You, on the other hand, are much more impressive. You can control the temperature of your surroundings through pyrokinesis. In other words, you manipulate fire, to some extent.”

“Are there more people, who can do what we can?” She questioned Stella shakily, sitting down on a nearby chair.

“More than you think Bloom. Enough to make the government give us a classification. We are WI-X.”

“We’re... Wix?” Bloom asked, wrinkling her nose as she repeated the word back.

“Women with Inhuman X genes, although that’s kinda out of date, seeing as I’m non-binary with an X gene,” came a new voice from the doorway, answering her before Stella could. “The others like to call me a Nix, which I think sounds much catchier. Hi, I’m Tecna, and my pronouns are they/them.”

The newcomer came through the door and made their way towards them. This person was taller than Bloom, with short magenta hair covered with the hood of their cropped lilac hoodie. Their skin was olive toned, with faint acne scars on their cheeks, and they had a large neon green gauge in one of their ears along with multiple silver facial piercings. Their phone was open in their hand, lines of indecipherable code covering the screen. Tecna switched the phone off and stuffed it into the back pocket of their low riding jeans. 

“Hi Tecna,” she waved awkwardly from her chair, nervous of all the attention on her. The fact that Tecna had introduced themself with their pronouns, and not one person had batted an eye, made her very queer self feel much safer and more welcomed. “I’m Bloom, and my pronouns are she/her. It’s nice to meet all of you.”

“It's nice to meet you too, Bloom,” said Flora, turning her kind brown eyes towards her. Bloom smiled back, instantly liking the shorter girl.

“In our case, and I hope in yours too, we’re WIN-X, which is one of two sub categories. The ‘N' stands for non threatening, which means we either won’t harm anyone, or we just can’t.” Stella continued. “The other type is WIT-X, but we just call them witches, ‘cause they're threats to the public, and also kinda evil,” 

“How many of us are there?” Bloom asked in awe. It wasn’t everyday she found out that she wasn’t alone, that she wasn’t a mistake.

“Oh quite a few of us, but not really a whole lot. I’m so glad we’ve finally found you! We’ve been searching the city for ages since we detected your power signature, and all this time you were right across from us!” Stella exclaimed in excitement, turning towards Tecna. “Told you I had a good feeling that this street was the epicentre! I could feel the electromagnetic disturbances from a mile away,” she crowed.

“Is that why you insisted we all get a job here? All I remember you saying was, ‘it’ll be fun to work at the same place,’ and ‘now you won’t have to travel as far to college’.” Tecna retorted.

Stella rolled her eyes at them, shifting her attention to Bloom. “Hey! Spitfire here already knows how to use her power, don’t you?”

“Um, mostly? I can only really light a smoke with it, unless it's an emergency.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll help you figure it out. The hard part was finding you. I mean, it’s not as if we can put up posters asking if anyone’s seen a pyrokinetic, right?” Stella joked.

Unfortunately, her stomach chose that exact moment to make itself known, grumbling loudly. 

“Bloom’s hungry!” Flora spoke up from where she had finished bandaging Stella’s shin, which had sustained a pretty large cut. “We should get you something to eat, we still have time- oh honey! What happened to your hands?”

Bloom looked down at her badly scraped hands. They had mostly stopped bleeding, but were now beginning to sting like a bitch.

“May I?” Flora held out a hand toward her, which she blinked at before nodding. Bloom held her hands out, palms facing upwards, and watched as Flora cleaned them gently with antiseptic and bandaged them, her golden bangles clinking together. These people were being so kind to her, a stranger, and it made warmth pool in her chest.

“Thank you, all of you,” she told them.

“Hey,” said Stella, softening her voice. Bloom glanced up at her to see whiskey bronze eyes framed by fluttery lash extensions and translucent lower lashes, staring at her so intently it was as if there was no one else in the room. When had she gotten so close? “You saved my ass out there, which means I owe you one. We're here to help you, so it’s really no big deal fire girl. Now let me treat you to dinner.”

Bloom could only nod in response, her heart beating out a tattoo of it own against her ribcage.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bloom gets to know the other fairies over dinner, and Stella puts on a show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I've never stepped foot in a strip club, or any other club. 
> 
> Warning: boobs. 
> 
> I would like to say that I didn't plan for this chapter to go in this direction so early, but here we are. Oops. Guess I'll change the rating now instead of later. 
> 
> Anyways. Bloom's a hopeless simp and Stella is bi as fuck and just as hopeless.

Stella fussed with her makeup for a few minutes, and when she was done there was no evidence she had been knocked out cold earlier. Well, on her face, anyways. Her legs were still bruised and her hoodie had been wrecked, causing her to discard it completely, so that the sparkly orange bralette that had been underneath was on display. It was edged with teal lace, contrasting with the creamy tan skin of her midriff, which had a light dusting of freckles. Her mini skirt was low cut enough to reveal the beginnings of pale stretch marks. Bloom blushed, hoping desperately that her face wasn’t as red as her hair.

“See, all better!” With a flourish, Stella turned on her heel and opened her locker, making quick work of the combination lock. Thigh high orange platform boots replaced her green wedges, hiding the worst of her injuries.

“Stella, maybe you should skip this shift-” began Flora, and Tecna made a sound of agreement from behind her. 

“No reason to, really. I’ve had much worse, and besides, nothings broken,” she argued, righting her hair and applying a liberal amount of fragrance. “My shift doesn’t even start yet! I just want to show Bloom around and introduce her to the others. Oh, you just gotta try the house special! I could kill for some fried chicken right now.” 

“The others?,” Bloom inquired nervously. 

“You'll love them, they’re all around our age. Except for Musa, she's the baby, 18, and she’s a WIN-X too, a sound manipulator,” Stella laughed. “Tecna thinks it’s the age at which our abilities start becoming more active, which kinda makes sense, y'know? It’s a stressful time. They showed me all the data. They really are just the best at statistics.”

“What are Tecna’s and Flora's abilities?”

“Plants,” Flora said simply. Bloom was happy with that explanation, sure that she wouldn’t understand anything more complicated if her failed biology classes were anything to go by.

“Tecna’s is a harder one to explain,” Stella said with furrowed brows. 

“I can manipulate electricity to a certain extent,” The person in question began to explain, “but it’s my ability to memorize codes and be completely logical that allows me to integrate with, control, and power any electronic devices I’m in contact with.”

“A super hacker, basically,” hummed Stella. “If they wanted to, Tec could hack the Pentagon and steal all the info from right under their useless, stupid noses!”

Bloom had the feeling Stella didn’t like politicians too much.

For the finishing touch to Stella’s look, she hooked her thumbs under the waistband of her skirt and pulled up the two teal straps of her G-string, hitching them up to her waist. Bloom had thought she couldn’t possibly get any hotter, but enjoyed being proven wrong.

Stella hooked her arm with Bloom’s, now significantly taller than her in her new heels, and marched them towards the door.

“Wait!” cried Bloom. “How am I supposed to go out there when you all look like that and I look like this?” She gestured to, well, all of her. She hadn’t exactly been expecting a night out.

“You just gestured to all of you.”

“Exactly!”

“Don’t worry hot stuff, honestly. Me and Flora only have to look this good because it’s our job, or else I would be wearing something much warmer! You don’t even look like you were just fighting an enhanced, trust me.”

“An enhance-?”

“Let’s go, come on. We can chat about illegal genetic modification and whatnot once we’ve got some food in you.”

The entrance was just as low lit as it was when they had first passed through it, a sharp contrast to the brightly lit room they were in before, and large doors led towards the interior of the club itself. This area was spacious, almost futuristic in design, with tables and chairs lining the edges with plenty of room to mingle. There were soft blue lights on the floors and ceilings, diffusing an ethereal glow through the room. There was an unmanned bar on the far side, and towards the back of the club was a stage that reminded Bloom of a runway, oddly enough. She supposed that in a way, strippers were just models who could dance really well. 

There were a few dancers already on the stage, despite there being only a few groups of people milling around. Four poles extended into the ceiling, evenly spaced, three of them on the stage and one at the end on the runway on a smaller circular platform. 

One of the dancers made their way over to them, weaving through people and tables on translucent platform heels with willowy grace, pitch black hair swishing behind her. She was clad in a red one shoulder top that cut off to reveal the edges of a purple bra underneath, and tight red shorts that left little to imagination, both made of an athletic sort of fabric. A thin diamante belt was snug around her bare waist, and tied neatly to one side of it was a wad of dollar bills. 

“Hey Stell', Flora, T',” she greeted, a perfect blend of energetic and laidback. Her voice was rough yet pleasantly tuneful, and Bloom had the suspicion that she had a good singing voice. Now that she was closer her features could be clearly seen, and they strongly hinted at her east Asian descent. “Who's this?”

“Musa! This is the fairy we've been looking for, her name is Bloom. She's a pyrokinetic,” Stella introduced, whispering the last sentence, before Bloom could even begin to respond. Bloom nodded at Musa, not really sure what to say, but decided to open her mouth anyways.

“Hey.” Well, one word was better than none. Wait, a fairy?

“Sup,” Musa nodded at her, eyes lighting up in recognition. “Hey! I've seen you round here before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you’re kind of hard to miss. Chick with bright red hair and hella tattoos, always sketching or smoking somethin'.”

“How come I've never seen any of you before? I'm sure if I'd seen you I would’ve said ‘Hi',” said Bloom.

“Most of the time,” began Tecna, shooting a look at Stella who grinned back innocently, “employees park on the other side of the club, in the parking lot we share with the restaurants. We use the back entrance.”

“There was no space to park! Absolutely none. It must be a busy night tonight or something!” Stella huffed. “My poor car. I only knew her for a month, and now she’s got an ugly dent, right on her hood.”

“And you just paid it off, too!” Flora gasped sympathetically. 

Stella buried her head in Bloom’s shoulder, pretending to be inconsolable. She smelled like citrus fruits and summer.

“Calm down, drama queen, it’s probably nothing that can’t be fixed. Tec can take a look at it, right T'?” Musa turned her pretty, pleading brown eyes towards Tecna, who sighed.

“I told you I'm an electronics engineer, not a mechanic,” they told her, exasperated. 

“Yeah, but you’re good at fixing all kinds of shit, right?”

“Alright, fine, I'll take a look,” Tecna conceded. They sent a considering look at Bloom. “Technically, since you’re a pyrokinetic, you should be able to weld most metals easily. You good with cars?” There was an excited gleam in their eyes. 

Bloom had never owned a car in her life, let alone opened one up. “Not really, but I could learn.”

“We can take a look at it tomorrow.”

“Food!” Flora interjected in a firm tone, hands planted on her generous hips. “And Stella still needs to rest her leg before her shift.”

They moved to one of the tables and sat down, while Tecna disappeared behind doors that most likely led to the kitchen. Stella chose the seat right next to Bloom, sprawling into her chair in relief.

“I knew you weren’t telling me how bad your leg hurt,” Flora sighed. “Here,” she passed Stella a packet of pain killers, which she took gratefully.

Musa snickered under her breath.

Bloom took a moment to glance around once more. She had never been to a strip club before, although she had been out clubbing before, back when she was still doing her college degree. It was nothing like she had imagined, with an atmosphere that was friendly and unhurried, and music that was a tasteful blend of genres. A couple dancers twirled in impossibly tall heels wearing next to nothing, one of them occasionally doing tricks that looked almost gravity defying. Most of the onlookers cheered and a few threw loose handfuls of money when this occurred. 

Lost in her thoughts, she failed to hear Tecna approach the table. They had returned with two waiters following them, all of them balancing platters of chips, fried chicken, salads, and an array of dips. Her mouth watered, and her previously forgotten hunger came back with vigour. She began loading her plate as soon as the platters were set down.

Tecna slid into a seat as the others thanked the waiters and began to eat, immediately being pulled into a conversation with Musa about sound filters, whatever those were. The food was much better than the takeout she had been planning on getting, and deserved every bit of Stella’s earlier praise.

A sideways glance confirmed that Stella actually fine, and not on the verge of collapsing again, settling the worst of Blooms fears. The blonde was holding the chicken with her fingertips, mindful of her long blue acrylic nails which had miraculously remained unharmed, and carefully licked the crumbs off her lips after every bite. Stella’s every action, mundane as they might be, captivated her. She decided to speak up before she got caught staring again.

“Why’d you call me a fairy?” she asked.

“That’s our code name. Its started off as a joke, since we were calling our enemies witches, and the enhanced, ogres, but then it caught on.” Stella replied. “Nobody takes us seriously when we talk about mythical creatures so it’s ideal, really. Also, it’s gender neutral,” she added with a nod towards Tecna.

“I've actually designed tattoos of fairies and they’re some of my best work.” Bloom admitted. Her eyes widened. “My portfolio! I left it when I went to help Stella!” She hurriedly cleaned her hands on a napkin and darted outside.

To Bloom’s relief, the art book was still on the steps where it had been discarded, thankfully dry. She picked it up and hurried back, eager to escape the chill of the night.

A bouncer who hadn’t been there before stopped her at the door, scowling at her as if he couldn’t believe she had the audacity to think about entering. Panic shot through her at the thought of being stuck outside while the others waited for her. They would probably think she had freaked out and left.

“Tom! Bloom’s with me, and you’d better let her in right now. Your going to be seeing her here a lot now.” Flora’s soft voice cut through her spiralling thoughts. “Bloom! Get inside, you’re shivering!”

Bloom smiled thankfully at Flora, raising her book in a small display of victory. As soon as she reached the threshold Flora hustled her inside, guiding her back to the table.

“Trailblazer! I thought you’d gotten lost. Where did you do?” Another nickname was assigned to her by Stella. She was growing fond of them. 

“I realised I'd left my portfolio outside and went to get it,” she told her, thumping it down on the table so her hands were free to reach for another wing. 

“A portfolio! Can we see it, please?”

For a long moment Bloom hesitated before she caved at the sight of Stella’s wide molten bronze eyes, finally handing it over.

Stella paged through it almost reverently, examining each sketch with interest while the others got up to look over her shoulder. 

Certain she had invented a new shade of pink with how hard she was blushing, she prodded Stella for a verdict.

“Well?”

“These are incredible! You really have a talent for all of this detail. Look at the wings on that butterfly! I always used to be on the fence about getting a tattoo, but I would get a few of these ones in a heartbeat.” Stella complimented, while Musa made enthusiastic sounds of agreement from where she was leaning on Stella’s shoulder.

If anyone had asked her, she would tell them that the sole reason she was blushing now was from the praise, and not because of the mental image of her giving Stella a tattoo. Nope, absolutely not.

“The line work is very precise,” commented Tecna. “Although I suppose a steady hand is necessary in your line of work. It would be very useful when soldering circuitry too.” The speculative look in Tecna's hazel eyes made her wary.

“And I adore the flowers! They look so delicate.” Added Flora. 

“Thank you,” was all Bloom could manage as her throat clogged up with emotion. She had never been in such a friendly, inclusive environment before, let alone received this much positive feedback in person, and it was such a contrast to her own place of work that it caught her off guard. She cleared her throat.

“So, you guys all work here, right? Is it a full time thing? What’s it like?” Bloom asked with honest curiosity colouring her voice, trying to shift the attention away from her.

It was Musa who answered in her strong city accent. “Well, I work here full time right now, since I just graduated. Tecna keeps bugging me about getting a degree, so I'm taking a gap year so I can save for college. I’m probably gonna do Law.” She shrugged. “Tecna and Stella are doin STEM majors at Alfea College. Floras doin nursing there too, focusing on childcare.”

“It was a hard choice between environmental science and nursing, but I like helping people more,” said Flora.

“I'm in my last year of electronic engineering,” Tecna told her. “I don’t dance, shockingly. I'm a bartender most days, but I’m also the unofficial repair guy. I live close by, so I usually drop in to keep the girls company.” There was something protective in their eyes when they said the last part, looking in Musa's direction.

“And I’m, funnily enough, a physics major. I don’t know how I managed it, but here I am starting a post grad in astrophysics, all while working my ass off to pay for it,” There was a proud tone in Stella’s voice that made Bloom think it wasn’t as simple or as easy as it sounded.

“Wow. I can’t imagine how difficult those courses can be. I only managed to get half way through my art degree before I dropped out. It wasn’t really my thing. You all have a good thing going here.” Bloom told them all.

“Aw, we're just trying to climb out of the bottom of the socioeconomic barrel and hustle, just like everyone else here,” said Stella. “Speaking of hustling, I gotta go get started on my shift. Hey, Bloom?”

“Yes?”

“You've had dinner. You wanna stay for the show? Also my treat.” Stella’s grin was almost shark like.

Bloom gulped. “Sure.”

Stella got up, hips swaying as she practically sashayed over to the hidden steps leading to the stage. The earlier grace and agility returned, making her every move seem sensual and confident.

She strode on towards the small circular stage that was set almost in the centre of the club. More people had begun to file into the area and it was much busier than it had been when she’d first arrived, the newcomers ranging from rowdy 20 year olds to businessmen with suits that probably cost more than Stella’s car. 

Bloom squinted. Stella’s face was gorgeous under the strong lighting, flawless, almost too flawless. The light seemed fuzzy, blurring the finer details of her face and making her outfit practically glow. She realised Stella was using her powers to create a real life filter effect, and Bloom found herself missing the small scars and freckles that had previously adorned her like miniature constellations.

When Stella gripped the pole with surprising strength and began on twirl around it as if gravity didn’t apply to her, hell nor high water could have ripped Bloom’s eyes off her. Those long, strong legs kicked off the ground and walked on air, before being lifted into a split that made the short skirt fall away to reveal her teal G-string. The muscles on her abdomen and arms flexed as she spun herself upside down in mid air, legs twining around the pole to keep her firmly in place. Stella outstretched her arms as if to say ‘see, no big deal', which garnered even louder encouragements as fistfuls of cash fluttered onto the stage. Her hips twisted this way and that as she danced around the pole, sensual in every movement. She slid down to the floor in another split, her eyes scanning the room before landing on Bloom.

Stella winked in her direction and blew a kiss. 

_I’m so fucking gay_ , thought Bloom.

Sometime during her performance she had discarded her skirt completely. Stella put her hand on the edge of the stage and vaulted off it to land on the floor in a light crouch. Straightening, she reached behind her back, unhooked her bralette, and slid it off. It landed in the general direction of the skirt. Her breasts were round and full with dark rosy nipples, and if anyone were to look closely enough they would notice that one was slightly larger than the other. 

“Here we go,” muttered Musa, bemused.

“That’s a new development.” Tecna commented to Flora, who nodded in agreement. “She usually keeps it on.”

Bloom wasn’t paying them the slightest bit of attention because Stella seemed to be walking towards _her_ , with slow, certain steps that made her hip sway. 

Her mouth was dry as she greeted her. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” Stella practically purred. “You enjoying the show?” she asked idly as she leaned over Bloom, her hands on the arms of the leather chair she was sat in.

Was it hot in here? _Someone should open a window_ , she thought faintly.

“Definitely.” Bloom tried to tear her eyes off the boobs in front of her with great difficulty.

“I don’t think I thanked you properly for saving me,” Stella teased. “How about a dance?” Bronze eyes met her own watery blue ones, searching for permission. 

_A lap dance_. Fuck. Bloom nodded enthusiastically, transfixed. Stella pulled away slightly, satisfied at having found what she was looking for. A small crowd had gathered around them now, cheering Stella on, a few with lewd comments. Tecna made them clear off with a glare and sharp words, so that they wandered off to watch the other dancers. Flora coaxed the others away to give them a moment alone.

Stella turned and almost sat in Bloom’s lap, just hovering over her with hands griping the sides of her chair once more. Her ass was as glorious as the rest of her, moving up and down with talent, sometimes brushing against her jean clad thighs. Each of these brushes sent a small thrill through her, made her breathless and heady with desire. When it began to almost be too much, Stella turned and met her eyes once more, her own half lidded.

Fortunately, the chair was just big enough for her to plant her knees on either side of Bloom’s legs, which she did so with ease. A new song began, and Stella’s hips began gyrating in time with the rhythm as she towered over the redhead. Her chest was level with Bloom’s eyes, bouncing hypnotically. A well manicured hand slid down her large knit jumper, which had become stiflingly hot. As if sensing her discomfort, Stella grasped the hem and lifted up and off of her, leaving her in her cropped white T-shirt. She began tracing patterns on Bloom’s pale tattooed midriff with feather light pressure.

In that moment Bloom wondered if she had died and gone to heaven, and honestly couldn’t bring herself to care if she had. All she knew was that she had slowly but surely begun falling for the woman currently in her lap, moving sinuously in time with the music’s beat. 

Bloom didn’t know if she could touch her during the lap dance, but she lifted a hand and carefully rested it on the side of the blonde’s face.

“Stop shifting the light. Let me see you,” she said softly. 

Stella’s eyes widened in genuine shock, before something in her eyes softened. The previously blurred features of her face began to sharpen and come into focus; the light dusting of freckles, the shiny raised scar on her right cheekbone, the few blemishes that her light makeup had failed to conceal, and way her nose wrinkled slightly as she gave her a small lopsided smile. No less gorgeous than she was before, but real and tangible in a way she hadn’t been on stage. 

“You’re beautiful,” Bloom breathed.

Stella blushed, pink colouring the spaces between her freckles.

  
When Bloom got home later that night, after exchanging phone numbers and saying her goodbyes, she dreamed of warm honey bronze eyes and skin studded with constellations.


End file.
